I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus which holds a large hay bale for feeding livestock and, in particular, to an apparatus for holding the large hay bale while allowing livestock access to the bale as it shrinks in size during feeding. The apparatus includes a clam shell structure which folds inward around the bale as it decreases in size to securely hold the bale, yet provides continuous access to the bale by feeding cattle.
II. Description of the Related Art
Prior art large bale feeders have generally included some type of bale holding cradle which is accessible by livestock from one or more sides of the feeder. In most such feeders, the bale holding cradle is fixed in size which means that, as the hay bale shrinks during feeding, access to the bale by feeding livestock may be interrupted. This can result in wasted hay and also in damage to the feeder as cattle push against the feeder in an effort to reach the shrinking bale.
Numerous attempts have been made to address the problem of wasted hay in bale feeders. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 5,311,840 to Earnest Rumbaugh, which teaches a bale cradle spaced from feeding cattle by a bar framework such that cattle can reach the bale but hay dropped by feeding cattle falls into a protected area which the cattle can also reach. The cradle is fixed in size and position in the Rumbaugh patent.
Another example of a hay saving feeder is that of U.S. Pat. No. 5,337,699 to Dyson, directed to a cylindrical hay bale feeder which accommodates a round bale standing on end. A number of bale centering springs are positioned on the cylindrical sidewalls and extend inward to hold the hay bale a predetermined distance from the feeding cattle. Again, the Dyson patent does not make any allowance for cattle to reach a shrinking hay bale.
Attempts have been made to accommodate a shrinking hay bale. Both U.S. Pat. No. 4,722,302 to Gee, Jr. and U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,449 to Harton show variations of a rectangular cage for holding a hay bale. In both patents the cages have side panel grids which are movable toward the center of the cage as feeding cattle push on them to allow feeding cattle access to a shrinking hay bale. A problem with both the Gee, Jr. and Harton patents is the requirement for cattle to actively push on the feeder side panels in order to move them inward toward the shrinking bale. Furthermore, the mechanisms which allow the sides of the feeder to move toward each other are somewhat complex and prone to lock up if they get cluttered or dirty.
It is clear then, that a need still exists for a large hay bale livestock feeder which allows feeding cattle to easily and efficiently reach a shrinking hay bale. Such a feeder should also act as a hay saver by preventing hay pulled from the bale from being trampled and wasted. Finally, such a feeder should make it easy to load a large bale into it or unload a large bale from it.